Hoenn's Chronicles
by Kimmo Zero Apple Pronger
Summary: A boy and a girl that start a journey together. They became fast friends but then as their journey goes along, friendship develops into something spectacular. But what is the cut-off point? When is it the proper time for a friendship to bloom into something more? (An expansion on the in-game story)
1. First Meeting

Brendan knocked on the door of his new neighbor's home, waiting for the chance to make a new friend his age. From where he once lived, his friends weren't that interactive with him. They weren't that crazy about Pokémon like he was. He knocks again, anxious for his new neighbor to answer. A woman with dark brunette hair wearing a dark red shirt and a white long skirt came out to greet him.

"Oh hello. I haven't seen you here. You are?"

Brendan cleared his throat to expel the nervousness he was feeling. "My name's Brendan. I believe you heard my name from the Professor?"

The woman nodded her head rather slowly with her mouth opened; she forgot they had new neighbors moving in. "Oh, you're Brendan! Our new next-door neighbor! Hi! We have a daughter about the same age as you! She has been so excited about making a new friend."

"S-She!?" Brendan nearly recoiled back from hearing that his new next-door neighbor would be a girl. He was more comfortable talking with males than females. For many his age, talking with the opposite gender is awkward and he was no different.

The woman gave a light laugh. "Come on, now, don't be shy! I promise you she's nice. She should be in her room upstairs. I hope you'll go and introduce yourself! Go on up and say hi."

Brendan's face flushed red as he scratched the back of his hat. He didn't interact that many times girls before but when he did, he would often be elusive when talking to them, as if they were a different species all together. He looked down and gave a heavy breath of air. _"Come on... Why? We're off to a great start to our new life, already..." _

Slowly, Brendan made his way up the stairs to his new neighbor's room. He made light and careful steps, trying not to announce his presence. Once he came to the top base of the stairs, one step below the very top, he saw a view of a slim, lighter brunette haired girl wearing a headband with a bow that's on top of her head. She was also wearing a red, sleeveless shirt top with a black one underneath. She also had on a pair of white shorts with black leggings that extended from her shorts to just above her knees. Brendan took a moment to also observe a fanny pack strapped around her waist with the storage unit on her lower back.

Brendan's heart was slightly pounding in his chest. Over the sound of his heart beating, Brendan could hear her mumbling to herself.

"Pokémon fully restored, items already, and..." The brunette girl noticed something out of the corner of her left eye. "Huh!?" She turned to look straight at Brendan's direction.

Brendan's eyes went wide but then tripped as he tried to take a step forward. He forgot he was one step before the upper-base of the stairs. "Ow..."

"A-Are you alright?" The brunette expressed concern as she came to help Brendan up.

Before she could help him up, Brendan quickly did the job on his own strength. "Y-Yes! I'm okay! No need to worry!"

The brunette girl tilted her head to one side, looking at her would-be-new-neighbor awkwardly. "Who...are you?"

Brendan swallowed his saliva, then took a deep breath. "My name's Brendan. Uh...I just moved in. I didn't expect my new neighbor to be a girl, to be honest." Brendan quickly shut himself after he said something that could potentially offend her.

May looked at him a couple of seconds before responding. She didn't seem to mind what Brendan said. "So you're Brendan. Your move was today, huh?" She gave off a brief giggle, smiling with sincerity at him. "Well, I'm May! Glad to meet you! I...I actually have this dream of becoming friends with Pokémon all over the world. And then when Dad-oh, I mean Professor Birch told me about you moving here, Brendan..."

"_So she must be his daughter... Isn't my father good friends with the Professor?" _His bad gut feeling just got worse upon making that realization, although he put up a poker face to conceal his...distress.

May continued. "...Well, I was hoping you would be nice and we could be friends."

"Y-Yes. Likewise." Brendan struggled to say while stuttering.

May's mouth slightly opened a bit upon realizing something. Brendan noticed and started to wonder if she was thinking a similar thought. "...B-But that's just silly, isn't it? I've just met you. Right, Brendan? So what am I talking about? Hee...hee..." She giggled nervously while scratching the back of her head while blushing. _"May...you and he just met. Don't be so forward. He's uncomfortable right now..." _

Brendan did the same action she did while nervously grinning. "Ha, ha, ha... Uh...I don't know. But...you seem comfortable enough with me that you told me that." Brendan, again, quickly shut himself up. _"Shoot! Stop it! You're going to creep her out with your observational skills!" _

"Oh..." May continued to blush. _"Stupid May! You need to stop treating everybody like you're friends with them when you just met them for the first time!" _"Well...we seem to be getting along quite nicely already." May gasped. "Oh no! I forgot! I was supposed to be going out to help Dad catch some wild Pokémon!"

Brendan quirked his eyebrow at that. "Oh? How about I help?"

May shook her head and hands. "No! No! No! You just moved in and I'm sure you're still feeling rocky after that long ride here. You just go and do your own thing for now." Her lips formed another smile at Brendan. "Brendan, I'll see you later!"

She went past him, down the stairs. Brendan looked at her, all the way going down. "Well...that didn't go so bad. But..." His face morphed into a frown. "She seems to be a spunky one. I dislike spunky..."

Meanwhile, May was at the door outside of her house, panting heavily. "So that was Brendan... He seems nice." She then made a confused expression. "...But what was up with him and his way of talking? Is he always like this?"


	2. First Battle

It's a sunny day on Route 103. May is at the very edge of the tall grass, observing the wildlife. She appeared to be facing a small pond surrounded by little plants with leaves on the stems.

May checked her Pokédex once more to ascertain what Pokémon she's looking for. "Let's see... On Route 103, I found this Pokémon...and this one...and this one, too..."

A few feet from her, stood Brendan, struggling to call out her name to get her attention. Begrudgingly, he went here to greet and help May upon Professor Birch's request. "Hey...uh...May was it? It's me."

May turned around, seeing Brendan standing a few feet away from her. "Oh! Hey, Brendan!" She went out of the tall grass to get closer to her newly acquainted friend. She then noticed a Pokéball slightly protruding from the pocket of his backpack. "What's that?" Asked she as she pointed at the ball.

Brendan thought that May must have noticed the ball so he took it out and showed it. "Oh this? This is my first Pokémon. Your, uh, father gave it to me after I rescued him from being attacked."

May sighed as she shook her head. She was all too familiar with what Brendan told May and has grown quite used to it at this point that she didn't give it a second thought. Just part of the morning routine. "You have no idea. This happens a lot with my dad. But he gave you that Pokémon as a gift, huh? Well then, why don't we go ahead and have a quick battle? I'll give you a taste of what being a Trainer is really like!"

Brendan gulped. _"Oh great... Her spunky is showing again...just great..." _

**BATTLE!**

"TORCHIC! LET'S GO!" May promptly took out her Pokémon out her Poké Ball. It was a Torchic.

Brendan awkwardly stared at the little thing. "Uh... Go, Mudkip!" Brendan sent out his Mudkip to fight against the Torchic.

Brendan gulped but tried to remain calm. "_Okay...just do what you did when you saved the professor." _

May crossed her arms as she began her lecture. "This is both our first battle. However, I already have some knowledge of how a battle works so I'm going to teach you some bare basics. The first thing is that a battle is a competition between Trainers and their Pokémon. The goal of a battle is to put the other Trainer's Pokémon out of commission first before they do so to you. It can be fun. You can go about this in a lot of ways. You can go for the straight brutality or you can perform tricks and beating around the bush to baffle your opponent and win that way. The goal is simple, yet never easy to accomplish as more experienced trainers have developed advanced strategies to win."

Brendan swallowed his saliva and wiped the sweat on his forehead. "_You say that we both have no experience yet you speak like you're experienced already..." _

May giggled at Brendan's expression of dismay, amused at him. "Relax! The only way you'll get better at battle is to experience it for yourself. For the record, both of our Pokémon know a single damaging move and Growl which is used for intimidation. Now...I think we're ready. I'll let you make the first move."

Brendan shook his head and his hands in a frantic matter, having no clue what was going to happen. "Uh...well...you're a girl; ladies first, right?"

May's expression morphed into something more serious as her face fell into that of a competitor's focused look. "If you insist! Torchic! Use Scratch!"

With its nimble feet, Torchic starts to charge for the Mudkip. Then, it leapt in the air and prepared to use its feet to use Scratch!

"Uh! Tackle, Mudkip!" Brendan commanded to his Pokémon. "_It's in the air so it should be vulnerable." _

The Mudkip leapt in the air while charging headfirst at the midair Torchic.

A smirk crawled on May's face. "Now! Scratch!"

Using its feet, Torchic attached itself onto Mudkip's head as it was ascending. Then, it started to dig its claws into the head of Mudkip. The Mudkip writhed in pain and started falling towards the ground with the Torchic on it.

"Mudkip!" Brendan helplessly called out to it.

Ignoring Brendan, May flashed her teeth at Torchic. "Get off! Now!"

The Torchic detached itself from the Mudkip and landed safely on the ground as the Mudkip fell on the ground brutally as a result of that nasty fall. Mudkip took its time to recover.

Brendan felt flustered. He felt desperate to get back at May for what she did. "Mudkip! Tackle, now!"

Mudkip started to charge again.

"Growl, Torchic." May commanded.

The Torchic growled fiercely at the Mudkip which made the Mudkip let up on its charge a bit. It felt intimidated and so it didn't hit the Torchic as hard as Brendan want it to. Instead, Mudkip merely bumped the Torchic backwards a bit and didn't even cringe of pain.

"Alright! Now use Scratch again!" May declared.

The Torchic leapt into the air and wasted no time attaching itself onto the Mudkip's head. The Torchic then proceeded to claw on its head and dig the sharp tips of its toes into Mudkip, making it helplessly yell in pain.

Brendan panicked. He had absolutely no idea what to do now that the Torchic was right on top of his Mudkip. So he just had to accept defeat.

"Mudkip! Withdraw!" Brendan watched as the Mudkip returned into its Poké Ball.

"It was a good battle! Thanks!" May said to Brendan as she withdrew her Torchic. "Don't worry about the injuries to your Pokémon. I'll heal them both up real quick..."

After a few moments and May giving his Pokéball back, Brendan looked somber as he stared at his Poké Ball in defeat. He closed his eyes. "...I guess I lost..."

Brendan felt a hand on his shoulder which made him open his eyes. The sight of May being this close to him made him feel uneasy but her smile made him comfortable enough. "It's okay, Brendan. A lot of Trainers don't do so hot on their first try." May withdrew her hand and then proceeded to stretch out. "Whew! But that wasn't bad, Brendan! Remember that battling a Trainer's Pokémon is different than fighting a wild Pokémon. In a Pokémon battle, both Trainer and the Pokémon work together to overcome. I came up with a strategy to play with your Pokémon's body and power and used it to my advantage. When your Pokémon leaped into the air, I used my Torchic's nimbleness to confuse and confound your Mudkip. That's a little basic strategy but as you master the basics, I'm sure you'll come up with more advanced techniques."

Brendan blinked his eyes a few times then made teary puppy eyes, exaggerating his own confusion. "I don't got it."

May sighed while scratching the left side of her face with her left index finger, awkwardly giggling. "Well, I did give a long explanation just now. You're better off learning by doing. But I did sense a lot of potential from you as a Trainer. I think I know why my dad his eye on you now. I can tell right away that the Mudkip and you already have that strong of a bond. I bet you can befriend any kind of Pokémon you meet!"

Brendan hunched his back over in total dismay, certain that May was exaggerating his capabilities. "I don't know about that... Especially since I lost."

May turned her head to the side to groan at Brendan's grumpiness then turned back once she was done. "Come on, Brendan! Cheer up! You're going to learn in time! Don't feel like you have to be a pro by tomorrow! Here, how about we walk back to the lab together? We can have some fun by leaping off these ledges!"

Brendan lifted his head while nodding at her with a slightly lighter facial expression. "Okay... That sounds good. Lead the way home."

May gave a light tap to Brendan's shoulder. "Tag! You're it!" Then, she sprinted off toward Littleroot Town. _"...I wish he wouldn't be so hard on himself. Come to think about it...maybe I should have just let him win..." _

Brendan's mouth briefly dropped then he gave chase. "May!" _"What is with her? So spunky and she was talking in words I barely can get a grasp on! Ugh!" _


	3. Receiving The Pokédex

**Author's Note: I wasn't exactly expecting so much support for this story in such a short amount of time for only two brief chapters. Thank you to everyone who favorite, reviewed, and followed. I promise I won't take too much time in between chapters. **

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><p>Brendan was chasing May through Oldale Town, panting. He felt exhausted from losing a battle and now losing a game of cat and mouse, both to the same girl May.<p>

"Brendan! Over here!" She yelled out to Brendan as she ran further away. "Let's hurry back to Littleroot!"

Brendan, out of breath, stopped about halfway through Oldale Town. "Where...does she get...all that energy? Unbelievable..." Brendan said through bated breath.

Brendan just gave up on the game of chase and walked instead back to the lab where he was sure May was now. Brendan was already having an exhausting time with his new friend May. He felt as though this was going to be one rocky relationship he was going to have with her. He had to wonder. Are most girls like this?

By the time he had asked himself that, Brendan was already at the entrance to Professor Birch's lab. He slowly went inside.

"Oh! Brendan! Over here!" Professor Birch called out to him.

Brendan slowly made his way to the professor but kept his eye on May who was peaking at him with some kind of smirk. Brendan slit his eyes into a leer at her.

The professor didn't even seem to notice. "So I heard that May beat you on your first battle together. It's alright! You'll learn in time. May's been helping with my research for a long time, so she has a pretty long history as a Trainer already."

Brendan's jaw dropped. "That's insane! May, you said that it was both our first battle!"

May blushed as she scratched her cheek with an index finger. "Well, uh, if I told you that I had a long history as a Trainer already, you wouldn't want to battle me..."

Brendan dropped his leer, surprised at May's sudden change of demeanor. "Oh..."

May looked down at Brendan's feet. "I'm sorry I lied... I promise I won't do it again..."

"No, no. I'm sorry for yelling at you, May." Brendan felt sad looking at May like this. He started to wish she'd returned to her spunky self.

Professor Birch laughed nervously at the scene between them. "Uh...what's done is done, kids. You two have just become friends but you're already talking to each other as though you've been together for a while now! I think you two would make a pretty darn good team!"

"A-A team?" They both said in unison as they looked at Birch with surprise.

"Mm-hm! That settles it! Brendan, I ordered this Pokédex for my research, but I think you should take it."

Professor Birch promptly handed the Pokédex to Brendan, to which he took with unease.

"Uh, thanks!" Brendan said. _"Everything's happening so quickly. Now I'm being asked to make an encyclopedia full of __Pokémon? What a life!" _

Professor Birch proceeded to explain about the Pokédex that was in Brendan's hands. "That Pokédex is a high-tech tool that automatically makes a record of any Pokémon you meet or catch. My girl May takes hers with her everywhere she goes. Whenever she catches a rare Pokémon and records its data in the Pokédex, why, she comes to seek me out wherever I am in the field and show me! Pokémon and people you will meet... And the great expanse of nature that lies before you!"

The professor stepped to the side a bit to get a look at both Brendan and May together. "Experience them both while you two fill in your Pokédex. I'd love it if your world seemed wider than ever! Though, I'd love it even more if you two came back from time to time to show me what progress you've made. Arghhh! I'm getting the itch to get out and do field work again!"

Brendan frowned at Professor Birch's burst of passion. _"Settle down, man! Now I can see how May is so spunky. She took after her father!" _

May went over to next to Brendan then gave out a sunny look at him, which made him flinch a bit over how rather cute she looked. "Oh, wow, Brendan! Now you've got a Pokédex, too! That's great! Just like me! Then here, I'll give you something, too!"

Brendan quickly shook his head while putting his hands in front of him. "N-no, no, no! It's okay! You don't have to."

May giggled. "Come on! Take it as an apology gift from me for kinda lying! These are some Poké Balls that you can use to catch Pokémon!"

Brendan reluctantly accepted the Poké Balls from May and put them in the pocket of his bag. _"Can't take no for an answer, can you, May?" _

May mentally sighed in her mind. _"What's with him? I wish he'd cheer up, already!" _"If you catch a Pokémon in the wild and battle together with it for a while, it will grow stronger for you! Take that as a bit of advice from a more experienced trainer like me! I'm going to get ready to head out from Littleroot Town soon myself. I can't wait to see what kind of Pokémon I'm going to meet... Tomorrow, let's both do our best on our journeys, Brendan!"

Brendan laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. "Th-thanks, May. I'll make sure I won't hold you back."

May giggled at him for being so humble. "Pfft! Nonsense! I'll teach you some more of the basics as we go along! For now, just get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow!"

Brendan nodded, then started to make his way out of the lab. _"...She's not that bad to look at. If only she'd just...slow down once in a while..." _

After Brendan went out of the lab, Professor Birch chuckled as he pat his daughter on the back. "It looks like you and he are getting along, already! Reminds me of myself and his father."

May's eyes widened as she turned to her father. "Eh? You know his dad? You never told me about that!"

Professor Birch lightly jumped a bit. "Oh, sorry! I meant to tell you before but fieldwork got in the way and all." He awkwardly grinned as he scratched the back of his head. "Ehh...heh...heh..."

May palmed herself lightly in the face. "Dad..." _"So that's why my dad has his eye out for him. He's friends with Norman and Brendan is his son. Wow... That's a bit of news to me. Alright! Tomorrow, I promise that I'll set an example for Brendan so that he'll be a better Trainer to make both his dad and mine proud!" _


	4. A Wild Pokémon appeared!

In Littleroot Town, the morning after the move, Brendan walked out of his home. He gave out a yawn, feeling refreshed. He did some idle stretches in place. "Okay, I'm all ready. Now...should I wait for-"

"Brendan!" May's voice sounded to his left.

"Perfect timing..." Brendan said, feeling half annoyed already. It's already morning and she's this energized, much more energized than him. He turned to his left and slowly walked to May, then stopped once she was within talking distance. "What's going on?"

"This is from my dad. He said he forgot to give it to you before. Could I have your PokéNav Plus, for a moment?" Asked she as she pointed to Brendan's PokéNav Plus.

"Sure." _"I hope it's not something that will mess it up..." _He slowly handed his PokéNav Plus to May.

May installed a small chip into it. After the data from the chip was transferred into the PokéNav Plus, she took out the chip from the PokéNav, then handed it back to Brendan.

Brendan scratched his head while looking at his PokéNav Plus for anything abnormal. "So what exactly did you install here?"

May explained as she pointed a finger at the PokéNav. "The app I just added to your PokéNav Plus is called the DexNav. It can tell you lots about the Pokémon living in each area and that kind of stuff. It's a handy app to have if you're trying to catch lots of different Pokémon."

Brendan slowly nodded his head. "I think I understand what you mean." _"Although, I'm not so sure..." _

May formed a small fist pump with her right hand, excited for the adventure ahead. "All right! Guess it's time I use the DexNav to do some more Pokémon catching myself! Brendan! You better use those Poké Balls I gave you last night to do a bit of catching, too! Come on! Let's go for it!" May grabbed Brendan's arm and starts running ahead into Route 101.

Brendan felt helpless, being dragged by May. "Ah! Hey! Wait!"

May stopped, still holding Brendan's arm. "What? Come on! Time's a-wasting! I got to teach you the basics so that you'll become a good Trainer, soon!"

Brendan noticed how cold and soft May's hand felt on his arm. _"Geez... Is she cold-blooded?" _"I haven't had time to take in everything yet. If you teach me too many things, I can't take my time to process what I've learned! Can you please slow down?"

May slowly released her hand from Brendan's arm. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that... Well... I'm just that excited to have you as a friend, Brendan. I don't interact too much with people my age, not even to the kids that live in Littleroot Town."

Brendan quirked his eyebrow at that. He felt confused at this. It seemed as though what she said contrasted her seemingly social personality. "Huh? But...you look like you're the most energetic person in the world! Don't you have other friends?"

May looked slightly downward at Brendan. "Well, not really. In fact, I'm...kinda socially awkward. I don't have that much practice talking to people my age, let alone boys. I thought boys were more aggressive than girls so... I took an aggressive approach, talking to you."

Brendan blinked a few times upon hearing that from May. "Well... I'm not that aggressive. I'm pretty socially awkward myself. From where I moved, not too many people were enthusiastic about Pokémon like I was. It's...kind of lonely, you know what I'm saying? Also, I hardly ever interact with girls. So...in a way, you're kind of a first for me."

May blushed as her eyes widened. "A-A first?! Wh-what does that supposed to mean?"

Brendan shook his hands in front of May. "Uh...uh...look...I don't know if that's the correct way to put it but... I guess you can say I'm pretty awkward talking to girls so that makes two of us."

"Oh..." May was still blushing, looking downward, away from Brendan's face.

An awkward silence lingered between the two for a moment. Until, May scratched the back of her head, still blushing. "Well, I'm just glad you share some struggles in common with me, Brendan. I'm glad that I don't have to take an aggressive approach when it comes to talking to you."

Brendan laughed sheepishly, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Well, I'm just glad that you're my friend, May. I was hoping I wouldn't be the only kid living here."

May's face flushed even deeper red. "Well, I'm glad I'm here to be your friend, Brendan..."

A small "bow" sound can be heard.

"Huh?" They both said in surprise.

They then heard rustling within the grass. May looked behind where Brendan was standing to see a grey tail protruding from the grass behind him. "Look, Brendan!"

"Huh?" Brendan looked behind him. "There's a tail sticking out."

May pointed at the tail. "That means there's a Pokémon hiding there! Brendan, look at your DexNav on your PokéNav Plus."

Brendan took it out and checked it. "Hmm? It's that dog Pokémon Poochyena that I've seen before. It seems that it's a bit different than the one I faced yesterday."

May looked over at the screen of Brendan's screen. "It looks like that Pokémon knows a rare move, too! Brendan! Try getting closer, real nice and slow! Tip-toe is the best technique in a book I read before! Try it!"

Brendan felt nervous but steeled himself to try it out. "Okay... Tip-toe towards the tail..."

Baby steps, baby steps, and more baby steps Brendan took.

"You're almost there...! Slowly...slooowly..." May said, excited for Brendan's encounter. "Tip-toe to sneak!"

As Brendan's foot touched the edge of the grass, he felt unsteady on his feet. "Uh-oh...!" He then lost his balance and fell over forwards into the grass strands. "Zoinks!"

The startled Poochyena noticed Brendan and then fled into the wild.

May's face fell out of seeing Brendan's pathetic fail to sneak up on a Pokémon. _"...Is Brendan really the son of a Gym Leader? He's...a total beginner! But I did promise myself I'd teach him how to be a Trainer!" _"Oooh, too bad! If you try to get close in a rush, a hiding Pokémon will just run away from you. Also, it doesn't help when you trip over your own shoes like that." May then tried to resist the urge to giggle at Brendan's expense.

Brendan grumbled to himself as he stood up and dusted himself off. _"She wants to laugh at me, I know it." _"Well...sooner or later, I'm going to get the hang of it if I'd just-huh?"

May tilted her head at Brendan. "What is it?"

Brendan took out his backpack from behind him and started feeling around it, then his pockets. "Where's my PokéNav?"

May gasped, startled after noticing it was gone. "Oh no! Where is it?!"

"That's what I just asked!"

May scanned their surroundings to see where the PokéNav could have gone. Brendan tripped on the grass so it had to be there. She went into it and scanned every last inch of grass on the side. There was no PokéNav to be found. May's forehead began to sweat. PokéNavs are very expensive and losing one is a devastating loss. "This is bad... I can't find it anywhere... Have any luck, Brendan?"

Brendan frowned as he crouches on the ground. "I can't find it either. It seemed to have just disappeared..."

May felt so awful for Brendan. Obviously just gotten over a move, then a loss to her on his very first battle as a Trainer, he would have to still feel a bit shaky. But now this...

An endearing growl from a Pokémon could be heard to both May and Brendan's left.

"What was that?" Brendan asked, curious.

May looked around for where the sound came from. Then, as she turned back to the direction of Littleroot Town, she spotted a Pokémon. "Ah! Brendan! Look!" She said to Brendan as she pointed in the direction of Littleroot.

"Look at what?" Brendan asked as he looked in the direction May was pointing. "Ah!"

Brendan spotted what May was looking at. It was a raccoon-like quadruped Pokémon with bristly, zigzag-patterned fur made of layers of cream and brown. It had spiky looking ears and brown eyes. It appeared to have something in its mouth. As it came closer to the two, it became clear that it had Brendan's PokéNav Plus.

Brendan expressed surprised as he noticed the Pokémon in possession of his most valuable tool. "That Pokémon has it! What...is it? It looks rather cute."

May rested both hands on her hips as she gave a smile of approval toward the Pokémon. "That's a Zigzagoon. It's a common Pokémon around the Hoenn region. It's known for being abundantly curious. In fact, it has such a curious demeanor that it travels all over Hoenn. That's how it got its reputation as a very common species. But just because a Pokémon is common, it doesn't make it less special. This Pokémon is very good at hunting objects down thanks to its nifty sense of smell."

Brendan nodded slowly while being fascinated by May's explanation. "I...see. It seems like a kinder species compared to Poochyena."

The Zigzagoon went to Brendan's feet, remembering his scent. It dropped it at Brendan's feet.

Brendan slowly crouched down, and then retrieved his PokéNav. "Thanks, uh, Ziggy. Huh?" Brendan noticed the Zigzagoon examining Brendan by taking quick sniffs. "Whoa there, Ziggy, what do you want?"

May analyzed the Zigagoon's behavior. "It seems it smells something from your right pocket. What do you have in there?"

"Ah." Brendan reached into his right pocket knowing what the Zigzagoon was looking for. "You want some of these? Sunflora Seeds?" Brendan took a few seeds from out of the sack containing it. He placed a few seeds into his right hand, then moved his hand toward the Zigzagoon's mouth.

The Zigzagoon took a moment to sniff Brendan's hand for a few seconds. Then, it gently ate the seeds off of Brendan's hand. The Zigzagoon jumped, giving out a cry of happiness. It then proceeded to cuddle with Brendan.

He felt touched by the Zigzagoon's endearing expression. He chuckled at the Zigzagoon's playfulness. "What a smart Pokémon you are! What a smart Zigzagoon you are, yeah!" He turned back to look at May. "Can I keep it?"

May giggled at Brendan and the scene itself. It was nice to see Brendan happy for a change. "Of course you can! It's a wild Pokémon! But...you need to prove that you can be a good Trainer first."

Brendan tilted his head as the Zigzagoon moved a distance away from Brendan, as if it knew what May was getting at. "Prove? What do I have to prove to it? I'm a nice person, aren't I?"

May shook her head in disapproval. "Brendan, you can't just take a Pokémon with you just like that and be its Trainer. You need to do it with your actions. You need to show that you are serious about becoming its Trainer by using your own Pokémon to impress it with your skill in battling. So go for it, Brendan! So that Zigzagoon what you can do!"

Brendan stood up, forming a serious battle stance. "Alright. Mudkip! Let's go!"

He tossed his Poké Ball in the air and out came the Mudkip.

**A wild Zigzagoon appeared! **

"Watch its movements, Brendan. There's no Trainer commanding it so you have to react well to it." May advised him.

"Got it. Well then, we'll make the first move! Growl, Mudkip!" Brendan commanded.

The Mudkip echoed a cry of intimidation, making the Zigzagoon reel back a bit. Then, the Zigzagoon shook off the effects and started charging for Mudkip.

May's eyes slightly opened wider. "Careful! It's going for a Tackle!"

Brendan acted out of reflex. "Then, we'll match power for power! Mudkip, use your own Tackle!"

The Mudkip began to charge, then met the Zigzagoon face-to-face with their Tackles. Mudkip's Tackle greatly outmatched the Zigzagoon's due to the immense, hard body of Mudkip. The Zigzagoon flew backwards, stunned from the hit of the Tackle.

May sensed that this was a good time. "Now, Brendan! Use a Poké Ball!"

Brendan glanced back at May and nodded. "Got it!" Brendan took out a single Poké Ball and activated it. "Alright, Zigzagoon! You're mine!"

He threw a Poké Ball at the Zigzagoon. The Zigzagoon ended up getting hit by the Poké Ball and then the ball's rays proceeded to encapsulate it. The ball fell to the ground, then started to shake a bit.

"What's...happening?" Brendan asked, very curious.

May stared at the shaking Poké Ball with hope that it would completely capture. "The ball is in the process of capturing the Zigzagoon. Let's just hope you wore it down enough to capture it."

The Poké Ball continued to shake for a few more seconds. Then, the ball stopped shaking as three stars came out of it.

May gasped out of surprise and joy. "You did it, Brendan! You captured the Zigzagoon! Go! Claim the ball!"

Brendan felt a surge of jubilee from his accomplishment. "Ha, ha, ha!" He ran toward the Poké Ball, eager to claim his earned Pokémon! "Yes! I caught...a Zigzagoon!"

The Mudkip jumped out of joy, as well from seeing its Trainer happy.

Brendan went back to May to show her the ball that was used to capture the Zigzagoon.

She nodded her head in approval, proud of the first step Brendan has taken in his otherwise, rocky start to his Pokémon Trainer career. "Nice job, Brendan! You really did a good job making that happen!"

Brendan humbly chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed that May complimented him. "Well, I couldn't have done it without you coaching me about it. So thank you. You had a part play in it, too."

May giggled at Brendan giving her credit and blushed slightly. "Nonsense! You fought your own battle in there! I just cheered you on! That's all!" _"Although...it was nice of him to say that to me. But I want to give him an ego boost after what luck he's been going through lately." _May cleared her throat in order to prepare herself on what to say next. "Now, as soon as you capture a Pokémon, you'd usually want to take it to a Pokémon center right away to heal it. Keep your Pokémon injury-free and always be sure to give them some love."

Brendan nodded as he gave a playful salute to May. "Yes, ma'am! Alright! Let's go to the Pokémon Center right away to get this Zigzagoon all fixed up! I feel bad for having to wear it down, though..." After saying that, he made haste to the Pokémon Center, eager to meet his new companion.

But May stood behind, watching Brendan as if she was watching a little boy running happily into the distance to boast about his accomplishment.

"_Brendan, I hope with another companion, you'll learn that there's responsibility in being a Trainer more than just battling and catching Pokémon. I want you to learn, grow stronger as a person and as a Trainer. Treat them with love and care. In return, they'll respond to your feelings and give the best they got." _


	5. Route 102

Feeling very courageous, Brendan set off for Route 102 which was west of Oldale Town. He started to catch more Pokémon as he went on. He went on to catch a Wurmple, Surskit, and Poochyena using the sneak skill he learned from May. He was fascinated with all the Pokémon he was finding already. Is being a Trainer this awesome, he wondered.

Along the way, though, he got into some battles with beginner trainers. He defeated them soundly with the combined strength of his Zigzagoon and Mudkip. He quickly found out that these Trainers were nothing compared to the skill level that May had. He'd guess that the loss from May was actually doing him good.

Brendan looked on his AreaNav to see that he was very close to Petalburg City. In fact, he was at the very entrance to it.

"Petalburg City... This is where my father is. I haven't seen him in so long." He then stared at his two Poké Balls. "And these two seemed to be responding well to my commands. It feels funny that I'm in the same level as those other Trainers I've fought but how I was able to beat them so easily?"

"Heeeeeey!" A familiar girl's voice sounded.

Brendan turned around to see May walking in his direction. He smiled as he welcomed her company. "May!"

May stopped once she was within talking distance of Brendan. "How's it going, Brendan? Have you been using your DexNav and perfecting your sneaking skills?"

Brendan nodded with a smile. "Yeah. It's actually not that hard, now that I got the hang of it. It's pretty fun. Oh and I won against a few Trainers that challenged me."

May felt satisfaction on hearing Brendan's progression. "That's great! I hope you already checked out the DexNav's Detector Mode. It reacts to Pokémon in the area, so it's really handy!"

A rustle could be heard in the grass nearby.

May turned toward the grass, looking for where the sound was coming from. "Ah! Look! Up there! Check 'em out, Brendan!"

"Huh?"

Brendan looked to where May was pointing. He saw three butterfly-like Pokémon flying past the grass and then eventually into Petalburg City, upward and into the sky.

"What are those...things?" Brendan asked, mesmerized by the trio.

May continued to stare at the butterfly-like Pokémon. "Those were Beautifly. I'll have to check in my DexNav later to be sure, though. But, wow, we already made it through Route 102, huh?"

Brendan was curious as to what May was surprised about. "I don't see how that's surprising. Can you tell me what?"

May giggled at him. "It's true that time flies when you're with a friend!" Brendan blushed slightly at that. May noticed this and tried to change the subject. "Oh, l-look! There's Petalburg already! Brendan, your dad... He's the Gym Leader in Petalburg City, isn't he?"

Brendan nodded. "Yeah, he is. Haven't seen him in a while. I know I'm going to have to battle him eventually."

May scratched the side of her face with her left index finger. "Maybe I should try and take him on myself, once I train up my Pokémon a bit more!"

Brendan scoffed in his head, confident that May doesn't stand a chance against his own dad. _"Good luck. I'm not even a good Trainer and I know my dad is more than enough to beat you in a battle any day of the week!" _

May tilted her head to one side when she noticed Brendan's look of annoyance. "Something wrong? Well, I guess I'm off now! Let's meet up again some other time!"

As May started to walk away, Brendan yelled out at her. "Wait!"

May stopped and turned around, surprised at that. "What?"

Brendan looked down at May's feet, feeling nervous of asking her a question. "Uh...well...don't you want to greet my father with me?"

May blushed as she giggled hearing Brendan's question. "Three's a crowd, Brendan. I'd feel bad for going in between a father and son reunion. You haven't seen him in so long, so you should talk to him for a while in private. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I saw how you were doing back there, by the way. You're doing good. Continue to learn by doing, Brendan. I trust you."

Brendan nodded, knowing that May had sound reasoning. Oddly, he felt sad at this, knowing they'd split up so soon. But his inner consciousness interjected that learning by himself for a while wasn't a bad thing. "Okay. That sounds good. See you later..."

May flashed one more sunny look before turning around and walking away. A few steps into Petalburg City, she turned around one last time towards Brendan. "Oh and by the way. To answer the question you asked yourself: If you could tell the difference on how you're battling, it means you're improving. Keep it up, will ya?"

Brendan's eyes widened upon hearing that from May. "O-Oh! Y-Yeah! Th-Thank you! I'll make it good!"

May nodded in approval as she finally went on her way.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I apologize for this being such a short chapter but I promise the next one will be different. <strong>


	6. Petalburg City Gym

Brendan and his father Norman entered the Gym of Petalburg City with Norman leading the way in. Once they were inside deep enough, Norman turned around to face his flesh and blood. "You know, I sure was surprised that you managed to get here by yourself."

Brendan shook his head at Norman. "I didn't get here alone, dad. The Professor's daughter, May, helped me get started on my journey here to meet you."

Norman nodded his head in realization. "Ah, I see. So you've become friends with the Professor's daughter. Do you have any Pokémon with you?"

"Uh-huh!" Brendan reached into his backpack to show off his two Pokémon to his father. "I got these two on my side. It's a Mudkip and a Zigzagoon."

Norman put a finger on his chin as he nodded his head. "You're making a good start on your team! Mm-hmm! Then, I guess you're going to become a Trainer like me, Brendan? Now that's something to look forward to!"

Behind Brendan, the sound of the door opening could be heard.

"Um... E-Excuse me... I'd like to get a Pokémon, please... " A small voice full of shyness sounded.

Brendan turned around to see a small male with green hair.. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt and long pants, both colored silver.

Norman looked down at the much smaller figure. "Hm? Aren't you... You're Wally, right?"

Wally struggled to look Norman in the eye. He was usually intimidated by those taller than him. "Y-Yes. I'm supposed to go stay with my relatives in Vendanturf Town for a while. But I thought I might be lonely by myself, so I wanted to bring a Pokémon with me. But I've never caught a Pokémon by myself. I'm not sure if I can."

"Mm-hmm. I see." Norman said as he tried to think of a solution to Wally's problem. He then turned towards his son. "Brendan! You heard all that, right? You go with Wally, and make sure that he safely catches a Pokémon."

Brendan felt surprised, suddenly being a kid's adult supervisor, in spite of him not even being an adult himself. _"J-Just like that? Just when I thought things would slow down, already..."_ "Yeah! I-I'll do it!"

Norman looked back at Wally. "Wally, here. I'll lend you one of my Pokémon. Take my own Zigzagoon." Norman gently handed the Poké Ball to Wally.

_"Just like mine... My dad has one, too. Is it a popular Pokémon to have?" _Brendan wondered to himself. _"May did say that just because a Pokémon is common, doesn't make it any less special. My own Zigzagoon will take me far, I know it." _

"Oh, wow... Your Pokémon, sir?" Wally asked, surprised at Norman's generosity.

Norman took a moment to observe Wally and how frail he looked. He didn't seem to hear Wally's question. "I'll give you a Poké Ball, too, so go give it your best!" He then gave Wally a vacant Poké Ball.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Norman!" Wally said with a rising voice, sounding louder than he did entering the gym. He then turned to Brendan, again hesitating to look him in the eye, blushing red. "Um...Brendan, was it?"

Brendan's eyes widened slightly from seeing Wally making that sickly, delicate expression at him. "Y-Yes?" _"Sheesh! I almost feel sorry for this guy!" _

"You will... You will come with me, right?" Wally asked him, maintaining that soft expression.

Brendan felt like he couldn't say "no" to him. In fact, how could he? It was only right that he did. He remembered May giving him help when he needed it, so he should do the same for his fellow Trainers. "Sure, Wally. Just follow me."

Brendan led Wally out of the gym. He kept his pace slow so that Wally wouldn't fall behind. _"Route 102 is a good spot." _

He stopped once he was back in the very outskirts of Petalburg City on Route 102. The two were by the grass, the same patch of grass where Brendan and May spotted the Beautifly. He found himself remembering that moment between them fondly, almost nostalgic.

"Pokémon hide in tall grass like this, don't they?" Wally's voice said, snapping Brendan out of his trip down memory lane.

"Huh? Y-Yeah! They do!" Brendan struggled to say in midst of his stuttering. _"Come on, Brendan. That just happened minutes ago. Don't go getting nostalgic, already." _

Wally watched his feet as he slowly walked into the grass. "P-Please stay there to watch and see if I can catch one properly." Wally turned to his right, suddenly seeing a Pokémon at his feet. He jumped back a bit at that. "Wh-whoa!"

It looked like a bipedal Pokémon with a white body. Its body and legs seem to resemble a nightgown or an oversize dress. It's head appeared to be green and looked a lot like a bowl cut. There was also two horns appearing vertically on its head.

Brendan became surprised at this. He thought he'd seen everything in this particular route. Curious, he pulled out his DexNav to analyze the thing. When the data was complied, the DexNav revealed that it's Ralts and its species would only showed itself if it sensed warm feelings and that if it sensed hostile feelings, it would take cover. This description made Brendan frown because he knows that he himself is not a malicious person. But it was time for action, right now.

Brendan coached Wally in a similar fashion as May did. "Okay, Wally! According to my DexNav, it doesn't know any attacking moves so your Zigzagoon should be safe. Just weaken it with Tackles and throw a Poké Ball at it. It shouldn't be that hard."

Wally nodded as he glanced over at Brendan. "Yeah. I read that in a book, recently."

Brendan's eyes thinned at Wally's reply, thinking that he was giving useless advice to Wally. _"Well seems like you got it all figured out, junior." _

Once Wally weakened the Ralts with enough Zigzagoon Tackles, he threw a Poké Ball at it. It shook quite a few times before the stars popped out, signaling the capturing process was complete.

Wally's mouth gaped as he gasped. "I did it... It's my... My own Pokémon!"

Brendan clapped his hands a few times as he nodded his head in approval. "Good job, Wally. That's a rare species, so you're quite lucky!"

Wally scurried out of the grass towards Brendan. "Thanks so much, Brendan! Let's head back to the Gym!"

* * *

><p>Back at the Gym, Norman could see smiles on both Wally and his son Brendan, implying that it was a success. "So did it go well?"<p>

Wally bobbed up and down a bit, feeling a surge of excitement knowing that he had a Pokémon he could claim as his own. "Yes, it did! Thank you! Let me give you your Pokémon back, sir." He gave back the Poké Ball that contained Norman's Zigzagoon back to him. Then, he turned towards Brendan. "And you, Brendan... Thank you so much for coming with me. It was all thanks to you two that I was able to catch Ralts. My very own Ralts... I will always, always treasure it!"

Brendan chuckled at Wally. It made him feel good to know that he played a part in making someone's move more comfortable. "Nonsense! You did your own battle in there! I just gave you tips! That's all!"

_"Nonsense! You fought your own battle in there! I just cheered you on! That's all!" _May's voice echoed.

Brendan's eyes popped as his face turned red. He quickly retracted his expression before either of the two males took notice.

Wally continued talking to Brendan, not noticing his brief blush. "It's not much of a thank-you, but um, Brendan? Will you let me see your PokéNav Plus for a second?"

Brendan felt a bit perplexed, as if he were reliving the early moments of his journey with May again. He subconsciously handed the Nav to Wally for him to tinker with. In a few moments, Wally was done.

Wally smiled up at Brendan as he gave back the PokéNav to him. "I read in a book how you can use the PlayNav to take care of your Pokémon and train them. And there's even supposed to be this thing, called the PSS, where you can meet up with other Trainers and battle friends and more! I've wanted to have my own Pokémon for so long and to do all those kinda things together... So I've had alll these kinds of apps installed on my PokéNav Plus for ages! Embarrassing, huh?"

Brendan chuckled sheepishly at Wally for that long explanation. "Uh...gee, Wally, that's certainly some useful information."

A light lit up in Wally's eye, feeling inspired from his accomplishment of catching a rare Ralts. "I'm going to try my best together with Ralts. You do your best too, Brendan! Oh, but my mom's waiting for me! I've got to get going! I hope we meet again, Brendan! And you, too, Mr. Norman!"

Brendan's eyes went wide from hearing Wally go off on tangent after tangent about his technological knowledge. _"Geez, the boy was so shy when he came in here and the next thing you know, he can't stop talking. Still, it reminded me when I caught my very first Pokémon. That Zigzagoon... It was because of May that I was able to catch this Pokémon and it was because of me that Wally caught his Ralts. I don't know why but... I feel like something should be learned here, but what?"_

Brendan snapped out of his thoughts when his father boomed his voice. "Brendan!"

Brendan made a salutation stance. "Yes, sir?"

Norman crossed his arms, looking at his son's eyes very seriously. "If you want to become strong as a Trainer, listen to my advice. First head to Rustboro City, which lies beyond this town. There, you should challenge the Gym Leader, Roxanne. After hear, go on to the other Pokémon Gyms and defeat their Leaders as well. Collect Badges from them, understand?" **  
><strong>

Brendan felt confused at Norman, knowing he was a leader, too and that he'd have to battle his own father one day. "Dad, aren't you a leader?"

Norman chuckled lightly at his question. "Of course, I'm a Gym Leader, too. I'm sure we'll battle one day. But that will be only after you've become stronger, Brendan. Sorry, but I don't get pleasure from battling greenhorn Trainers. There's no challenge. I want you to grow much stronger before I would consider you taking you on in a battle. Come back when you've got at least, hmm...four Badges! Then, I'll take you on, Brendan. It'll be our promise, father-to-son!"

Brendan grinned at that, determined to battle his father, to prove his worth. "Got it! You just watch me go, dad! I will grow strong!"

Brendan turned around, took a deep breath, then proceeded to head out for Rustboro City.

_"I'll show you, dad. I'll show you what kind of Trainer I'll be...and...you'll be proud...proud to have a son like me!" _

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: There will be chapters like this, where Brendan and May won't meet but it will be symbolic to their relationship. <strong>


	7. Team Aqua Appears!

_**At the same time when Brendan was helping Wally catch a Pokémon... **_

May finished up looking through her DexNav of all the Pokémon she could catch within the area. The area she was scanning for Pokémon was in Petalburg Woods. Normally in these woods, not much light shines through due to the massive canopy of trees that block out most of the sun rays. Up to this point, she had made sure she didn't miss a single Pokémon she could catch in every area she could walk through, so far.

She stared at the Pokédex in fascination upon the entries of the Pokémon she found that were recorded within. _"These Pokémon are fascinating. It seems as though Silcoon and Cascoon like dimly lit woods like this one so that they can hide from predators... Also, Slakoth likes to dwell within here. I guess they like areas where it's not very sociable." _

After she was finished reading through, May walked all too fast through the forest, eager to see what lies on the other side of the forest. The forest itself was a natural maze. She read in a book featuring the Kanto Region that Virdian Forest's layout was similar.

Something was odd when she reached a turning corner. May saw a scientist in a white-clad coat looking around the trees, as if he lost something and is looking for it. Concerned, she went to the scientist in an attempt to help. "Excuse, me sir. Can I help you with what you're looking for?"

It took a few seconds to notice May but when he finally did, he went to her because he noticed her PokéDex. "Ah, yes. Hello, little girl. Have you seen any Pokémon called Shroomish around here? I really love that Pokémon."

May smiled as she knew where she spotted some. "Ah! I know where there's some! You can follow me! I'll catch one for you to have!"

The scientist's face lit up from May's courteousness. "R-Really!? Thank you! Oh, thank you! You have no idea how much time I've lost scouring this forest for the darned little thing..."

But the peppy atmosphere would not last. A shady man, wearing a striped shirt with white and blue colours, and pants of the same colour approached the scientist from behind, looking infuriated at him. He appeared to also be wearing a black bandana and gloves of the same colour.

May looked at the man with a puzzled expression. _"D-Did he get lost on the way to a costume party?" _

The shady figure growled before speaking his mind. "I was going to ambush you, but you had to dawdle in Petalburg Woods forever, didn't you? I got sick of waiting, so here I am!" He stepped within the scientist's personal space. "You! Devon Researcher! Hand over those papers!"

The scientist shrieked and out of survival instinct, he scurried too fast in behind May. "You're a Pokémon Trainer, aren't you? You've got to help me, please!"

May was confused as the situation. A scientist and a man who's dressed up like a pirate? Did Halloween come early this year, she wondered. "Uh... Stealing is wrong, okay? But I won't hesitate to battle you if you're serious about taking the important papers away!

The strangely dressed man looked at May with his head slightly tilted. "Hunh? What do you think you're doing? You're going to protect him? No one who crosses Team Aqua gets any mercy, not even a kid! Come on and battle me!"

**Battle! **

The shady man smirked at May as he held out his Poké Ball. "Let's see how you handle the bite of my Poochyena! Go!"

He tossed the Poké Ball in the air and out came a vicious-looking Poochyena.

May tossed her own Poké Ball in the air. _"That Poochyena doesn't look happy. I have to be careful." _"Go! Torchic!"

She tossed her Poké Ball in the air and out came the Torchic.

The shady man tried to pull off a fast attack on her Torchic. "Tch. A Torchic, eh? Let's see how you handle this. Poochyena! Howl!"

The Poochyena made an echoing, spirit-lifting Howl that intimidated the Torchic and raised its fighting spirit.

"Tackle! Go!"

The Poochyena charged straight at May's Torchic, looking to inflict the maximum amount of damage possible.

May's eyes lit, spying a weak spot. "Torchic! Use Ember!"

The Torchic spewed flames from its mouth at the Poochyena. The Poochyena appeared to have been caught so easily within the flames. It stopped almost instantly when its fur caught on fire. The Poochyena squirmed around, trying to put out the flames on its fur.

May pressed on. "Now! Go! Scratch on the burn marks!"

The Torchic attached its feet onto the Poochyena's burnt spots, as it was distracted. It then dug the nails of its feet into the Poochyena, making it cry in agony. Soon, it was squirming around, crying out for help.

The shady man who claims to be a member of Team Aqua panicked at this and withdrew his Poochyena back into the ball. "Y-You're crazy strong!" He said, astonished that a preteen girl beat him.

May and the Torchic stayed silent as they continued to stare the man down.

The Team Aqua grunt growled at May again. "You've got some nerve meddling with Team Aqua! Come on and battle me again! I wish I could say that, but I'm out of Pokémon. And, hey, we of Team Aqua are also after something in Rustboro. I'll let you go for today!"

The Team Aqua grunt walked away but until he was completely out of sight, May never took her eyes off of him.

The scientist came out of hiding from behind May. "Whew! That was awfully close! Thanks to you, he didn't rob me of these important papers. I know! I'll give you this as my thanks!" The scientist handed what appeared to be a machine with a bunny-ear looking antenna to May.

May looked at this machine in a puzzled manner. "What is this thing?"

The scientist explained. "That's an Itemfinder. It's a super high-tech device. I had to strain every fiber of my brain and body to develop this device. I have another one, so don't feel guilty about taking it from me. It'll help you detect items that aren't clearly visible on the ground. The downside is that the noise it emits, isn't really good for sneaking around and finding Pokémon, I'm afraid so pick a good time when to use it! And with this, I'll restore your Pokémon's health using this other device that I'm proud of!"

The scientist used a mobile healing device to restore May's Pokémon.

May smiled as she took the Poké Ball containing a fully recovered Torchic. "Thank you, sir. It was my pleasure to help!"

The scientist's head suddenly twiched, as if he could sense a dangerous omen. "Ah! Didn't that Team Aqua thug say they were after something in Rustboro, too? Uh-oh! It's a crisis! I can't be wasting time! I'm sorry for this but I have to get going! This is more important than the Shroomish! Maybe next time!"

With that being said, the scientist scurried off in the direction of Rustboro City.

May stood there for a moment to contemplate what had just transpired.

"_I don't understand what's going on here. I thought that guy was late to a costume party! But he said he's a member of Team Aqua... Is that like a fraternity? Fraternities are vicious places... With how I just spotted one of the members here, there might be more of them lurking in Rustboro City! Brendan might still be in Petalburg City so there might be some time for me to check and see if there are more thugs running around. He'll never see their ambush coming in the event they target him. I have to make sure it's safe!" _

May started to run towards the other side of the forest, making haste towards Rustboro City. She turned on her AreaNav so that she made sure she was on the right path.


	8. Interrogation

Brendan was really starting to take interest on his adventure. He was continuing to meet many interesting Pokémon specimens and reading what the Pokédex had to say about them. He currently has on his team his first partner Mudkip, his Zigzagoon, and a Tailow. Brendan took a Tailow with him because he thought that it would be a good idea to have an aerial advantage.

He liked his team of Pokémon so far. He had his Mudkip for an all-around attacker, his Zigzagoon for scouring items that were hidden on the ground, and then Tailow for an aerial advantage.

The aerial advantage would soon pay off as Brendan encountered countless of Bug Catchers in the Petalburg Forest, who were hunting rare and exotic Bug-Type beauties. His Tailow ended up earning plenty of experience from defeating so many Bug type Pokémon in battle. His Zigzagoon was invaluable for continuing to pick up items that were not able to be seen by the naked eye. Brendan held off on using his Mudkip to allow both his Zigzagoon and Tailow to gain their fair share of experience in battle.

Brendan encountered a Shroomish, which was a rare species to be seen in Petalburg Woods. He promptly caught it but decided to hold off from adding it to his team for a while.

But around a turning corner, Brendan's Zigzagoon had its nose tingle...

Brendan noticed his Zigzagoon acting rather serious about what smell it was picking up.

"Hmm? What's wrong, girl?"

The Zigzagoon ran ahead of Brendan which caused him to be surprised. He followed where the Zigzagoon scurried off to and it was around the pathway turning to his left that he saw the Zigzagoon growl while smelling the area.

"What is it? What do you notice here?"

Upon further inspection of where the Zigzagoon was sniffing out, Brendan noticed a grayish powder on the grass. He picked up some of the grayish powder and decided to rub it in between his fingers to find out what was so abnormal about it. His Zigzagoon appeared to have spotted this.

After seeing the substance, Brendan came to a hypothesis. _"Wait a second, this is soot. Why would there be soot here? Did a Trainer use a Fire type here? I remember a sign saying from the outside that using Fire types inside the forest is discouraged. But someone seemed to be disobeying the sign. Why?"_

Brendan's Zigzagoon barked out for him. "Yes?"

His Zigzagoon pointed out a claw mark on the ground. It appeared to have one of its markings going backwards and three going forwards in three different directions.

He was starting to become suspicious at this. Soot and a claw mark on the ground? Brendan could sense some familiarity in it. He took out his Pokédex to ascertain what Pokémon he seen or caught could have that footprint marking. After a short search, looking through this Pokédex, this clinched it. The footprints of Torchic matched up with the claw mark on the ground and there's only one person who he knew that had a Torhcic; May.

May and her Torchic must have battled here, but why and for what purpose?

Brendan was starting to get confused at this but the more confused he got, the more suspicious he became. He was hoping he was just being paranoid but he couldn't help but feel something must have happened to make May send out her Torchic. Did she battle with someone?

Brendan decided to walk ahead and gather some information from bystanders who might have seen something. He spotted another Bug Catcher who appeared to be on edge about something. Brendan nodded and proceeded to interrogate him.

"Excuse me." Brendan asked in a calming manner to not unnerve the Bug Catcher more than he appeared to have been.

"What do you want?" He asked, sounding a bit snarky, his voice filled with venom.

Brendan put his hands up as a gesture that he came in peace. "Listen, I'm not going to battle you. I just need you to answer some questions for me."

The Bug Catcher lowered his stance a bit. "Well...okay..."

Brendan cleared his throat, signaling that he's going to get started. "Have you seen anything suspicious going around here? My Zigzagoon was on edge around that corner where I just turned from so I'm just wondering if you've seen anything."

The Bug Catcher hesitated for a bit but then answered. "...Yeah, I think I've seen something. There was this guy in a white coat that came around here. He asked me where he could find a Shroomish. I told him that I saw some around that corner of the woods so he went over there. I've seen him look around that spot for a while. Then, I saw some dude that looked like a pirate. He looked angry!"

Brendan's eyebrows quirked at that, intrigued. "A guy that looks like a pirate and a man in a white coat?"

The Bug Catcher nodded at him. "Yeah! I think he was after the scientist that went past me. Then, I heard a scream coming from that direction!"

"Huh?" The more Brendan heard this boy's story, the more his fears were being realized.

The Bug Catcher shook his head. "Yeah! It got me scared too! I was too scared to do anything! I was worried I'd get in the way instead of helping him but it looks like someone else did."

That detail got Brendan's attention. "'Someone else'? Did you see who it was?"

The Bug Catcher's cheeks became rosy from remembering who it was. "I saw the pirate-looking dude run back around my direction, then the white-coat guy. Then, some pretty-looking girl came around the corner that looked like she was in a hurry as well. I didn't see her before so I guess she came from the other side. She must have used a Fire Type because I saw some flames coming from that corner, as well."

Brendan's eyes widened upon hearing the boy confirm everything he'd been anticipating. _"I knew it. May must have gotten herself involved with some shady business... May, what are you doing?" _Brendan decided he heard enough. "Thanks for the information. Here's 300 Pokédollars for telling me this. I know it must have been uncomfortable for you to tell me all this."

The Bug Catcher slowly took the money from Brendan. "Yeah... This place doesn't usually have this kind of stuff happen. It's normally a safe place but after something like that, it's a bit freaky."

* * *

><p>In Rustboro City, May had just finished looking around for any more of those people in outfits that represented pirates. She was in the city's Poké Mart, having restocked on Poké Balls and healing items.<p>

"_There doesn't seem to be any of those nuts hanging around. I'm sure Brendan's on his way here soon. Maybe I should keep quiet about this from him. I don't want him to get involved in this." _

May exited the Poké Mart the door revealed directly on the other side, Brendan. He first looked surprised then serious at her. "I've been looking for you!"

May gave a cheery look at Brendan. "It's nice to see you again!"

Brendan ignored May's facetious smile, still keeping up a serious look at her. "May, I need to know something. What happened in Petalburg Woods?"

May almost panicked upon hearing Brendan's question. _"H-How did he know about that, already?!" _"Uh...I don't know. What are you even talking about?"

Brendan slowly shook his head at her, disappointed at her blatant attempt to lie. "May, I'm not dumb. I gave some money to a passerby to tell me something. He told me that there was a guy who looked like a pirate, a man who wore a white coat, and then a girl who had a Fire type Pokémon running in his direction. Tell me what has happened."

May then knew the jig was up. Somehow Brendan already knew everything. She mentally cursed the passerby out for telling on her. She sighed as she dropped her smile. "Alright, you caught me. But I don't think we should talk here. We should go to the outer part of Rustboro, first."

* * *

><p>The two went over behind the main entrance to the city in an isolated spot.<p>

Brendan initiated the conversation. "Please, tell me, May. I'm seriously worried about you."

May looked down at Brendan's feet then looked up at his face again before talking. "Okay... I...I was helping this scientist out. He appeared to be a part of the Devon Corporation which is a company in this city. Then, some angry-looking person came along and tried to take some important documents from him. I couldn't just stand there, so I helped him. I defeated the guy's Poochyena easily with my Torchic. I know that using Fire types in the forest is discouraged but seeing as how this person was a thug, I couldn't afford to go easy on him. Then, the scientist gave me a reward for helping him out then scurried off to Rustboro City. The thug said something about trying to get something else in this city. Apparently, only the scientist knows but before I could ask him what it was they were after, he took off. I went ahead to Rustboro City, trying to flush out any more people that had the same outfit as that guy. But I don't see anyone else. I...decided to keep it a secret from you because I didn't want you to be involved in some sort of potential criminal conspiracy. But it looks like you were able to track us down. I'm sorry..." She said as she looked somberly down at Brendan's feet.

Brendan softly sighed before putting his right hand on May's left shoulder, which caused May lift her head up to look directly at him. "Listen to me, May. Even if you think that it sounds dangerous for me to be involved when I have nothing to do with it, I don't care nearly as much as being lied to. Besides, I don't want you getting yourself involved in something dangerous alone with me being ignorant to it. I'd feel bad if something had happened to you. I'm just glad you won against that guy. But listen to me, May, I'm not going to let you deal with them alone. We'll do it together."

A pulsating sensation went off in May's head which caused time to stop in her eyes for a few seconds.

"_Together... It feels like... I heard that before somewhere..." _

"May!" Brendan called out again.

May snapped out of her state. "Oh-Oh! O-Okay... I'm just... I just didn't want you to..."

Brendan put his other hand on her other shoulder, now having both hands on her shoulders. "May, we really should stick together for now. Hopefully, this doesn't escalate into something bad. But for now, I need to keep you safe."

May's cheeks became red. "I-I can handle myself, Brendan! Besides, I'm more experienced than you, remember?"

Brendan's eyes flashed a leer at her. "May, even if you're more experienced than me, I'd regret it if something happened to you and I wasn't around."

May exhaled a deep amount of air, still blushing. _"What's up with him? Seriously, what's up with him? He's like...an adult all of a sudden..." _"Alright, Brendan, you win. I'll go with you for a while."

Brendan's lips curved to form a smile. "Thanks, May."

"By the way, how were you able to deduct that I helped stop a thug from stealing from a scientist?" May asked, very curious about his endeavor.

Brendan scratched the back of his head, grinning at her. "Well, I tend to be an observant person. It's one of my traits. Sometimes I'm quick to pick up on things most people don't pick up on, right away. With my Zigzagoon and me, we'd make quite a detective duo!"

May's eyes slit as she felt bewildered at him. _"Geez... It's no wonder how he was able to tell I was comfortable with him when we first met. ...Now that I think about it, that's a bit creepy..." _


	9. Shunned Intelligence

May scanned the area around Rustboro from the isolated spot they were standing it. It appeared the citizenry was fine for the time being. After a few more scans around the city, she concluded that everything was fine for now.

"It doesn't look like they've come back just yet. I think it's safe here for the time being."

Brendan reminded himself to remain suspicious and not let his guard down. "Alright. Just keep an eye out for things."

May thought that it was time for a change of a subject, seeing as how they've been on this tense one for quite some time. "All right. Let's talk about something different to lighten the mood. Let me ask you a question, Brendan. Are you familiar with the types and characteristics of the many Pokémon you encounter and the ones you have currently on your team?"

Brendan wasn't sure on how to answer her question because of how awkward it sounded coming out of May's mouth. "I'm guessing you're asking me if I know about Pokémon types? Yeah, I know a bit about them. I know there's a type triangle between Grass, Fire, and Water. Grass absorbs Water. Water douses Fire. Fire burns Grass."

May's lips curved into a smile out of approval. "That's good. You know some basic type advantages. But those three you just mentioned aren't the only types around. Take for instance your Zigzagoon. It's what's known as a Normal type. Normal types have a disadvantage against this City's Gym Leader because of the type of Pokémon she likes. I'm sure you've heard about Roxanne from your father, Brendan."

Brendan nodded his head. "Yeah! He told me to come here and beat her in a battle! So she uses Rock Types? Hmm...I guess I should find out what weakness the Rock type has..."

"Of course!" May said in a pompous manner. She pointed at the building with an orange roof that has a Gym logo on it. "That roof coloring and statue with a lightning bolt logo with a Poké Ball in the center of it signifies that it's a Gym around these parts. There are eight different Gym Leaders who specialize in different types of Pokémon. But let's focus on type this Gym Leader uses. You have a decent amount of knowledge about a Pokémon's type. But now let's focus on a type's characteristics."

Brendan felt eager to learn from May. With this, he could have a good chance at beating a Gym Leader in battle. He felt himself growing nerves since he's going to be facing a Gym Leader so quick.

May proceeded to explain as she took out a chart that displays all the type matchups possible. "Rock Types usually have very high physical defense. If you don't have a Super Effective physical move against these types of Pokémon, you probably won't get anywhere fast. They're also physically very strong in terms of offense. They also get an increased Special Defense within a Sandstorm weather but we're far from that kind of stuff so don't worry about that for now. Offensive types like Normal and Fire won't make much of a mark on Rock types."

Brendan shook his head in understanding. This information was rather easy for him to digest. He liked battling so this was good education for him. He was having fun with this. Brendan decided to ask some questions to add to the fun of things. "So does that mean that Fire types like your Torchic and Normal types like my Zigzagoon won't stand a good chance against Roxanne's Rock Type Pokémon?"

"That's correct, Trainer." Another female's voice sounded.

Both May and Brendan turned in the direction of the voice to see a girl wearing a magenta coloured ribbon at the back of her head. Her hair was mostly brushed back with two ponytails going backwards. She had eyes of the same colour and her hair was also coloured brunette. She wore a red tie in front of a gray top with a white shirt underneath. She had red stockings while wearing brown high top shoes.

Brendan noticed how distinct she looked. She's not like the others, he quickly observed from how she dressed. "Uh, hello..." He said, unsure of how to address the girl.

The girl smiled at Brendan and May together. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help but overhear you two talking when I heard the word 'Rock'. Rock types happen to be my favourite type. Their rock-hard nature...and their passively aggressive style of battling, enduring and hitting back hard, it really is fascinating to me. That's why I chose Rock as my favourite type!"

May smiled at the girl, happy that a fellow Trainer joined their discussion. "Yeah, I know! Maybe you can help teach my friend here? You know more about Rock types than me."

Brendan frowned at that. He was really having fun about how May articulated her teachings towards him. He shrugged his disappointment off, figuring that at least he would learn more about Rock types from an enthusiast. But wait, she said she knows this girl's favourite type. Does she know her, already?

The girl nodded. "Thank you. But I noticed that you do well in teaching. Maybe you could be a good teacher at the Trainer's School here."

May blushed at that, taking a single step backwards. "No, no, no. Teachers are supposed to be charismatic and know what to say. I'm also not good at public speaking. I wouldn't be a very good teacher. Anyway, could you please teach us more about Rock types?"

"_Teach us? I thought only I needed to learn?" _Brendan thought to himself, wondering why May was acting two-faced. Perhaps it was because she was embarrassed that someone complimented her on her teaching skills.

The brunette proceeded to explain herself. Her face turned into a frown for what she was going to talk about next. "As good as Rock types are for what they do, they do have flaws. Water and Grass types like Mudkip and Shroomish have a distinct advantage over Rock types because they can easily exploit a Rock types weakness. Not only that, they don't have good Special Endurance. Also, they're painfully slow, often resorting to being forced to endure a hit before striking back but there are a few fast Rock Types out there and those Rock types are noteworthy to look out for. But of course, Water and Grass are not the only types that Rock is weak to but I'd feel as though I'd be giving you too much information if I told you the remaining weaknesses for Rock types. I don't want to make your run through the Rustboro City gym an easy time." A light giggle elicited from her. But it was clear she did not enjoy talking about what weaknesses Rock types had.

Brendan felt satisfied from hearing this information, which felt like the most important information he needed to know. He felt pretty confident about taking on the Gym Leader with his newly attained knowledge. "Well, I can understand that. But it's not like Roxanne is going to know that you and May were feeding me knowledge."

May's and the girl's face went slightly pale from what Brendan said and fell over backwards. This confused Brendan, so he inquired about it. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

May quickly got back up to scold Brendan. "Brendan! She IS Roxanne!"

Brendan's face went pale almost instantly and he fell over backwards on his back as well. _"...Oh...that's why she didn't want to tell me the remaining weakness..."_

Roxanne slowly got up on her own strength after that fall backwards out of being bewildered. "This is certainly appalling. You have not heard of me? I know I'm only recently appointed Gym Leader but, even places further from here knew about my indictment into the Gym Leader ranks!"

May sighed then glared at Brendan, which made him put his arms up as if he were saying, _"What the heck did I do?" _"I'm sorry about Brendan, Roxanne. He only recently moved into the Hoenn Region. He's not from here. I apologize on his behalf."

Roxanne slowly nodded her head, understanding the situation. "I see. Then again, it's my fault for not properly introducing myself. So, I apologize as well. It's just that whenever I hear people talking about Pokémon types, I just get very excited and want to join in to spread knowledge around! Knowledge is a powerful tool, after all!" Roxanne made a pompous fist with her left hand to make her signify her brooding intensity.

May and Brendan both shrugged their shoulders at this. But then May giggled at how Brendan became friends with the Gym Leader. "By the way, Roxanne. It's been a while, the last time I was here."

Brendan was surprised at this. May was already associated with a Gym Leader? "You two know each other? May, you never told me that."

May blushed at that and made a sheepish giggle. "Uh...stuff happens really fast, yeah?" It was the best explanation she could come up with for the revelation.

"_Girls...what is up with girls?" _Brendan begrudgingly thought to himself. He just couldn't wrap his head around girls, sometimes. But somehow, he thought it was for better than worse because knowing more could be scarier than knowing less.

Roxanne gave a haughty-sounding laughter at Brendan. "Allow me to explain, if you don't mind, May." May nodded, signaling that she was okay with Roxanne explaining herself. "When May and I went to Trainer's School, both of us were the top students in the class. Both she and I did well on every test on every possible subject. Status Conditions, Pokémon Types, Hoenn's History; she was an excellent student before she graduated about a year ago."

Brendan looked over at May as if she had three heads. May's words about how she's more experienced than him started to make sense since a Gym Leader is admitting to him all this about her. It would seem like she's just a young girl but wow, she actually knows a lot, Brendan thought to himself.

Roxanne gave a loud sigh that which represented disappointment. "But...when it came to battles, that's what separates me from her. We were rivals in the classroom and in battle. But when it comes to battles, I always find myself trying to catch up to her. To this day, I've kept track of the record between us. May and I battled twenty-six times. She won seventeen times. I won only five times. We had four draws."

Brendan felt a chill run down his spine. Was May really as good as Roxanne saying? Brendan was confused about all this. Things make less sense than ever. The professor told him that she has extensive history as a Trainer already but then May lied to him about it being both their first battle together. Now he hears about this.

"Roxanne!" May blurted, embarrassment filling her voice. Brendan looked over at her, she appeared to be blushing while breathing heavily. "You didn't have to say that much to Brendan! He's going to..." May swallowed her saliva before continuing. "He might feel too scared to hang out with me."

Roxanne blinked a few times at May's distress before her lips curved into a smile. "May, you're sometimes too humble for your own good. It's alright to tell your friend about a few accomplishments you did. Besides, if he takes it the right way, he might see you as his role model to look up to. In fact, I'm studying the way you battle right now since you have such a distinctive and strange battle style."

May's face still had that embarrassed look on. She was looking down at the ground, not saying anything, still feeling embarrassed. What would Brendan think of her now?

Meanwhile, Brendan felt like he needed to say something to cheer May up. Knowing that she didn't reveal how she really is as a Trainer out of fear he won't be her friend was actually pretty touching to him, so he felt like he needed to reassure May that he wasn't going to think of her any less. "May. The things Roxanne told me just now, that really is amazing. In fact, I appreciate you telling me that you thought I wasn't going to be your friend if you told me about your history as a Trainer right away. Really, thanks for keeping my feelings in mind." Brendan didn't really notice but he was smiling from ear to ear. He just went along with it, though.

May slowly looked over at Brendan to see his smile at her. Her face was still having that red look of embarrassment. She slowly nodded her head. "I remember how much the kids at our school hated me for being number one all the time. It's not like I was bragging I was better than them. But I remember that they called me all sorts of names...for being so smart. All I can remember asking myself throughout my years in Trainer's School is, 'What's so wrong about being so smart?' I don't really understand it."

Roxanne gave out a long sigh, remembering that the other kids hated her in a similar way. "May, it's sort of my fault you went through with that."

"Huh?" Hearing Roxanne say that took May off-guard.

Roxanne continued while slightly slumping her shoulders. Her eyes were looking down at the ground, remembering painful memories. "It looked like you weren't really affected by them. In the classroom, I always looked at you, wondering how I could be more like you on how you tuned them out. But as it turns out...we're pretty much the same. Kids laughed at us for being smart... I really didn't understand it, too. We both weren't boastful about our ability. If they asked for our help, we would have helped them..."

Brendan was feeling a bit disturbed by all this. Seeing two girls feeling so down about themselves wasn't really helping to light up the gloomy atmosphere of it all. He had to say something to cheer them both up. But Brendan noticed things from a different perspective of view. He thought that maybe that this was the key to cheering them both up. "I don't think it was either of you two being smart. I think it was more of those kids envying you two."

Both Roxanne and May turned to Brendan, confused about his statement.

Brendan nodded, knowing their confusion. "Sounds confusing? Yeah, I know it is but hear me out. I know how those kids must have felt. Seeing how smart both of you were, it got to them. They thought that they would never make it up to both your levels so they try to drag you down and make you think that it was a bad thing to be smart. They weren't angry with you. It's more likely they're mad at themselves. They probably knew they weren't going to ever be at that level that only you and May were at. It frustrated them. But am I justifying their behaviour towards you two? No. What they did was still wrong. I was only trying to help put things into perspective so that maybe you could understand their thinking a bit better."

May and Roxanne looked over at each other for a few seconds, then back at Brendan. May took a moment to think about it before replying. "You know...come to think of it, it does make sense. Up until how the kids noticed how smart we were, all of us were friends too. But the year before both of us graduated, it felt like a battle. Other than Roxanne, I didn't have many friends after I graduated."

Brendan went over to May and put his left hand on May's right shoulder. "May, your smarts don't make you a bad person. Your personality makes you who you are. Don't think that you're a lesser person for being smart." Brendan swallowed his saliva before continuing, thinking what he's going to say was corny. "Your energetic and spunky personality made quite a first impression on me. Honestly, I kind of feed off that and it gives me energy, too. And I really have fun learning about Pokémon from you so far. There's nothing wrong about sharing your knowledge with me, May. In fact, I feel glad you're taking the time to teach me what you know."

May let out a gasp of surprise. _"H-He cares...!" _"Th-Th-Thanks...Brendan. I'll continue teaching you what I know. And...thanks for cheering me up."

Brendan smirked at her. "Don't you mean both you and Roxanne?"

May gasped, face turning red. She had lost count of how many times her face turned that way. "Oh! O-Of course!" May looked over at the hand that was still on her right shoulder. Gently, she took it off.

Roxanne nodded in approval of the scene between May and Brendan. "That cheered me up, too. So thank you, Brendan. By the way, May, you and him seem really close. How long have you and he known each other?"

Brendan and May simultaneously stuttered a few times before they both gave the answer. "One day."

Roxanne blinked a few times, trying to comprehend that answer. "O-One d-day?! R-Really? You two seem much closer than two people that have known each other for one day! Are you lying?"

May shook her head rapidly at that. "N-No! I'm not lying! Brendan moved to Littleroot Town yesterday and right away, both of us decided to go off on a Pokémon Journey across Hoenn together to complete the Pokédex. I guess you can say we're fast friends."

Roxanne inhaled a big amount of oxygen before exhaling. "Going on a Pokémon Journey... I honestly envy you, May. But good luck to the both of you. I've had too much downtime by now so I'll be returning to the Gym. May, I expect nothing less from you just like old times and Brendan, I will expect you to take up the challenge, soon!"

"See you!" May called out to Roxanne as she left. She then turned back to Brendan. "Alright, Brendan. You know a lot about Rock Types, already. Your Mudkip should know a move by now called Water Gun. It'll be a really good weapon to have against Roxanne's Pokémon since they're all Rock Type. Take what we've talked about and give it your all for that first Gym Badge! I'll be rooting for you!"

Brendan nodded while giving a playful salute. "Alright! I'll do it! I'll show you that Gym Badge, just you wait!" He runs over into the direction of Gym as May watches.

May put a hand over her chest, feeling her heartbeat. _"Brendan...thank you so much..." _

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: This is probably going to be my last chapter for the next week or two. This is also the longest chapter so far with over 3K words in terms of length.<strong>


End file.
